L2 Latona Livewell System

With the assistance of Norm Latona of Southeastern Pond Management, some successful competitive bass fisherman, and some well-qualified engineers, the world of competitive bass fishing has been revolutionized with the L2 Livewell System that protects fish both during and after a tournament. This innovative livewell system features firtst-in-class automation that includes; auto-fill, auto-maintain-fill, auto-circulate- auto-oxygenation, auto-inject livewell additive, and even auto-temperature control.

It’s insulated recessed lid, and the fact that it fills to the top, prevents sloshing when running in rough tournament conditions. Most livewells, by design, only fill about 2/3 to the top, which make their advertised capacities inaccurate. The sloshing effect when navigating through turbulent waters is caused by the gap between the water level and the underside of the lid can damage fish.

The L2 system encapsulates the fish in a solid container of water, which means… No sloshing! To top it off, in addition the the insulated lid, to maximize cooling efforts the 35 gallon divided tank is surround by 1.5″ of insulation. It truly is the most innovative livewell system to be introduced to the bass fishing industry.

L2 Livewell First Time Use

When I first get a new boat, before putting any kind of fish in the livewell, I always make sure to rinse it out to be sure to remove any leftover manufacturing debris and harmful chemicals that could have an effect on the fish.

Then, once I put the boat in the water, I like to run a few cycles of water through the system just to be sure it’s ready to go. Once it’s clean and ready to go, it’s time to use my custom iKon control screen to adjust my livewell settings for the day ahead.

Fish IV System

This is actually my favorite part of the system. iKon’s L2 livewell system is best know for it’s ability to control the livewell’s water temperature, which I’ll explain later, via the built-in chiller plate. The Fish IV system consists of an easily accessible rear-compartment-mounted 64 oz container that can be filled with your favorite livewell additive (I like to use T-H Marine G-Juice).

From there, it can be manually, or automatically, injected into your livewell in doses of 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or 1 ounce. Not having to deal with the mess of measuring and manually pouring it in the well during tournament hours is the main reason it’s one of my favorites… Anything that allows for more fishing time is a win in my book.

Temperature Controls

The feature function of the L2 Livewell system is the built-in chiller plate. That’s right! This livewell system is refrigerated! It’s all made possible by a refrigeration compressor that is mounted in the rear port-side storage compartment just behind the passenger seat. With this, I no longer need to worry about dumping bagged ice into my livewell on those hot summer days we have here in Florida…

The question I get most about our chiller plate is, “How do I know what temperature to set the chiller plate at?” It’s pretty simple… If I’m fishing in relatively shallow water on a hot sunny day, with surface water temps at 86 degrees, I simply set my chiller plate at 86 degrees.

That’s the water temperature they’re living in, and that’s the temp I want to keep them in. In a recent test, while on Florida’s Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, I ventured out at sunrise and filled my livewell with the 84 degree water the lake was full of. Then, I shut everything off and let that livewell water heat up under the back deck of my LX21. By noon, we had a heat index of 110 degrees and the lake’s surface water temp had risen to 86 degrees.

Pumping In New Water

Without the livewell water recirculating, pumping in new water, or running the chiller plate, my livewell’s water temp had risen to 92 degrees. Depending on conditions the L2’s chiller plate is capable of chilling that water back down at a rate of 1.5 – 2 degrees per hour. To save time, instead of going that route, I used our pumpout system to pump the heated water completely out.

Upon refilling, I set the chiller plate to automatically keep my livewell water at the current temperature of 86 degrees. I continued fishing for an additonal four hours, with the air temperatures nearing 112 degrees (heat index) and the chiller plate did what it was designed to do, maintaining the 86 degrees.

In deeper bodies of water, where the water temperatures you’re pumping in from the surface may be 8 – 10 degrees warmer than the depths you’re catching your fish in, you need to start chilling early.

As I mentioned, the chiller plate has the ability to cool water temperatures up to 1.5 – 2 degrees per hour. When I know I’m going to be fishing deep, I’ll fill my livewell as soon as I get on the water to get a head start on cooling it down to as close to what the fish are living in. It may not get all the way there, but it’ll get closer than any other system on the market. If you’re thinking you can do the same with the use of ice, you can’t. Ice melts. When it’s gone, it’s gone. Also, ice is generally made chlorinated from frozen tap water. If the bag you put it in leaks, it can harm your fish.

Livewell Fill Settings

Fish need water! They can’t live without it… One of the biggest design flaws in most bass boat livewells is the fill and auto-fill feature. The bass boat industry has loosely thrown that “auto-fill” term around for many years.

Sure, the livewell fills and shuts off automatically. Then, turns back on with a preset timer. But, it’s not a true auto-fill feature because it’s really just filling up to the level of an overflow valve/outlet. Once it reaches the overflow outlet, it’s pumping out any livewell treatment you added, and also replacing your iced-down water with surface temp water. Furthermore, those overflow valves are usually located about 2/3 up the sidewall of the livewell, leaving room for sloshing when running in choppy water. iKon’s L2 system features a TRUE auto-fill system.

By this, I mean when you turn your livewell on, using your auto settings, it will automatically fill to the top and shut off when full. If for any reason, the livewell loses water, it will then automatically fill itself back up. Running on plane while trying to fill your livewell is not good for the pumps. Running the pumps with no water flow can shorten their lifespan. In the L2’s auto-fill settings you can adjust this.

For example: My livewell’s auto-fill is set to pause when the boat is going over 7 mph. As a result, if I take off while in the middle of filling it will pause until I slow back down to below 7 mph. This pause speed is adjustable. Infact, all of the auto settings are adjustable…

Livewell Auto Settings

iKon has made adjusting your L2 livewell settings easier than working with a modern smart phone with the use of it’s custom control screen. When adjusting your livewell settings, with just a few easy steps, you can adjust the temperature control, length of time you want your recirc to be on and off, and how much and how often you want the Fish IV system to inject your livewell treatment.

Here’s an example: In the hot summer months here in C. Florida, I will usually have my livewell settings as follows:

• Auto-recirc-on for 10 minutes – Livewell recirc pumps run for 10 minutes.
• Auto-recirc-off for 5 minutes – After recirculating for 10 minutes, the pumps will shut off for 5 minutes.
• Auto-fill – When turning the livewell on, it will begin to fill all the way to the top. If I takeoff during fill, it will pause when my boat travels over 7 mph and resume when I slow back down or stop.
• Auto-Fish IV – After completely filling, my Fish IV system will inject 3/4 ounc G-Juice. Then, it will reinject and additional 3/4 ounce every 90 minutes.
• Auto-Chill – If I’m fishing relatively shallow water, where the surface temperature is about the same as throughout the water column, I’ll set it to the exact temperature as the showing on my electronics.

Control Screen & Digital Button Pad

The control screen makes it super simple to set up and adjust your L2 Livewell system and operate other boat functions, such as, lights, stereo, fan, and bilge pump. Just like every other aspect of an iKon boat, the touch control screen was built to the highest of quality standards.

However, in the case of control screen failure, the bass fisherman and engineers involved in designing the system wanted to ensure that your day on the water wouldn’t be ruined. As a backup, and also quick access feature, iKon incorporated a redundant button pad that is located on the left side of the console, plus and additional pad at the bow.

If your screen were to fail, these buttons can be used to operate all of the necessary functions, including your livewell. They also make for an easy on-off when time is on the line during a tournament. One push of the livewell button and your livewell is operating at the settings you’ve installed.

Livewell Pumpout

When it’s time for weighing in your day’s catch, the L2 Livewell system is equipped with a quick connect hose that allows you to easily fill your weigh-in bag with your chilled and treated livewell water without needed to lean over the edge of your boat or dip your bag into the water at the dock. When your bag is full, just hang the hose over the edge and the pumps will shut off when your tank is empty.

Frequently Asked Questions